All in ETFs

Mortgage or Investing? Why Not Both?

Mortgage or Investing? Why Not Both?

Ruth
Debt, ETFs, Index Funds, Investment, Mortgage, PocketSmith, KiwiSaver, FI Series

Andrea asked me this question, “Mortgage vs investments... One or the other, or both?”  With two young kids, a $240,000 mortgage, and an eye on the share market, she’s wondering if delaying investing to get rid of the mortgage is the best move, or if she’s missing out on valuable time in the market. As our KiwiSaver balances grow as a nation, plus people become aware of share market investing as a successful way to make money outside of housing, more people question whether putting additional payments towards their mortgage is the ‘right’ thing to do. Would they become wealthier if they reduced their mortgage payments and invested that money instead? The fear of missing out is real.

I have stopped buying the US 500. Well, sort of.

I have stopped buying the US 500. Well, sort of.

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Investment, KiwiSaver, InvestNow, Sharesight, Smart, SmartShares

Managing our money is never ‘done’. I am constantly tweaking and adjusting. Whether for the little things like an increase in our weekly rates bill, or preparing for a bigger expense. Our income and costs are constantly in flux, and we need to keep monitoring and evolving with those changes. The time has come to tweak our investments. Which is why, once I was up and running with our new KiwiSaver provider, I turned my attention to our US 500 ETF and began researching whether we should also slightly adjust our direction with this investment.

Everything Broke at Once - Why We’re Financially Hunkering Down

Everything Broke at Once - Why We’re Financially Hunkering Down

Ruth
Budgeting, Emergency Fund, ETFs, Index Funds

There’s been a bit of drama this month—our household needs to reduce its spending. We’ve got a few things going on, and I think we’d be foolish not to mind our dollars right now. As of April 2025, with storm clouds brewing, we’re financially hunkering down. Before you start to think that The Happy Saver has gone into a tailspin because the share market is particularly volatile at the moment, well, that’s not our problem at all. We haven’t reduced the amount we invest each month. While the cost of everything else is rising, at least shares are on sale right now! You’ve got to find the positives.

How much money do I need to have invested at 65?

How much money do I need to have invested at 65?

Ruth
Budgeting, ETFs, Index Funds, Investment, KiwiSaver, Retirement

It may be because my ears are finely tuned to anything money-related, but there seems to be increasing talk of saving for retirement. More specifically, people are not investing enough for retirement. Organisations are panicking on our behalf as they watch Kiwis nonchalantly wander their way to retirement, in many cases hopelessly unprepared, having barely given the financial side of stopping work a thought. I’m well ahead of the game here, as I’ve been thinking about—and financially planning for—our eventual retirement for years. I have a question for you. If you woke up tomorrow and found you were now 65 and would receive government superannuation but no longer worked, as your financial situation stands today, could you survive financially?

Hedged vs. Unhedged Investments: Which One Should You Choose?

Hedged vs. Unhedged Investments: Which One Should You Choose?

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Investment, InvestNow, Sharesight, Smart, SmartShares

Question: Ruth, could you help me understand how to choose hedged or unhedged when investing? This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive. Investing can be confusing. Not only do you have to consider fund provider, fund choice, and fees, but I often hear from people who come unstuck when they also have the option to choose between selecting “hedged” or “unhedged” for some investment types. Warning: This blog will be boring, brief, but essential.

Your emails keep me busy, and I’ve picked a few to share with you.

Your emails keep me busy, and I’ve picked a few to share with you.

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, KiwiSaver, Kids and Money, Money Education, Smart, SmartShares, Simplicity, Sharesight, Sharesies

My inbox is cluttered with hundreds of different threads of conversations, which in turn means I struggled to find a true focus for a blog post this week. But I often think I’m receiving and sending out some real wisdom, and it's a shame it never reaches a broader audience. So, today, I’ve scrolled back through my inbox from the last week or two and pulled out a few threads from some emails I’ve received.

I quit my job!

I quit my job!

Ruth
ETFs, Hnry, Investment, KiwiSaver, PocketSmith, SmartShares, Smart Invest, Smart, Budgeting, Net Worth

In a recent blog post, I rebalanced our investment portfolio; this time, I’m rebalancing my life. I resigned from my PAYE job. I’m another step closer to early retirement, and I’m VERY excited about it! I always looked forward to working on Wednesday and Thursday each week, and deciding to leave a job I enjoy, plus giving up $20,000 a year, has been challenging. 

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Imputation Credits = Tax Savings!

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Shares, Tax

I’ve got a super short blog post for you this week where I am answering a question that is often asked: What is an imputation credit? If you are a share investor (including ETFs), you will pay tax at your personal tax rate on any dividend income that you receive. You must also be aware of any tax credits available to you due to your dividend income. These are called Imputation Credits, and you can use them to reduce the overall income tax you pay.

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Portfolio Rebalance: We sold $103,000 of investments!

Ruth
ETFs, Investment, Sharesight, SmartShares, Simplicity

In August, I made a significant change to our investment mix. I sold all $103,000 of our Smartshares NZ Top 50 ETF (FNZ). This change ties in with all the other tweaks I’ve made over the years, where I have been progressively refining how we invest and setting ourselves up for future growth. Year after year, our mix changed as I learned and understood more, so this recent change is part of this evolution. If I were to use investment speak, I’d say I have ‘rebalanced my portfolio’.

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